We all over-think the obvious.  Not because we necessarily like to complicate our lives, but the drama we play out in our heads at times has a way of confusing our ability to make even a simple decision.  It’s not hard to know the difference when you are happy, challenged, stressed or even when it’s time to ask yourself, “Should I stay or should I go?”

It’s important to find out what makes you tick, but realizing that there are some fundamental outliers at play helps you to manage your expectations and come to the table ready to be present and make the most of what you have to offer.  If you are tired of being pushed and pulled and feel like a leaf in the wind blowing from one vacant lot to another, try applying the “Four C” principles to your career and see if you it provides you with a foundation on which to build your career castle.

It’s really not that hard to kick your job search into high gear.  Some of us get so focused on building the resume, the bio and figuring out who to include as a reference that we forget to do a few basics which really happen BEFORE the resume re-write begins. When you think about preparing for your job search you might spend all of your time preparing a killer resume and think that is all you need.  Unfortunately, a resume is only one tool in helping you present yourself to a prospective employer or a recruiter. Your job search begins with your ability to research, goal-set and prepare yourself – three ways to plug and play to you’re your career forward and find your dream job.

When it comes to figuring out what makes sense for you in how you handle your career, there are a few basic principles that might help.  It does not matter whether you are starting out or have been at this job thing for a while now.  What matters is how you arrive at your destination and what are the values you bring along with you to work everyday.

It’s important to find out what makes you tick, but realizing that there are some fundamental outliers at play helps you to manage your expectations and come to the table ready to be present and make the most of what you have to offer.  If you are tired of being pushed and pulled and feel like a leaf in the wind blowing from one vacant lot to another, try applying the “Four C” principles to your career and see if you it provides you with a foundation on which to build your career castle.

We all have played it safe one time or another.  Whether you are safely tucked away in a nice job or have settled for a mate who at least takes you off the dating scene, we all have our own unique “risk level” which dictates the choices we make or are willing to take in our attempt to keep what we have and follow the status quo.  Every now and again it’s good to shake it up even if you are not sure the outcome.  Playing it safe doesn’t always get you want from your career or in other areas of your life. When do you know it’s the right time to move out of your comfort zone and risk what you have now for the potential of something much better in the future?

We all need to detox from one thing or another in life.  Whether you are cleansing your system from years of alcohol, drug or food addictions or you are looking to just rid yourself of the emotional toxins that have built up from years of wear and tear, you may feel the need to cleanse at some point in your life.  One area you might want to consider purging is the emotional and physical drain on your energy and psyche caused by the stresses of work. When your work environment resembles a toxic waste dump, it’s time for a career cleanse.

We all have been charged with picking up the sword to fight the good fight whether we are drawing the battle lines or not.  It’s always a good idea to have a plan in the event that you are called into action lest you be caught off guard.  This strategy applies whether you are fighting a health scare, personal loss or a change in your career.  It’s always good to know what propels you into battle before the appropriate boundaries are drawn.

Denial is a mask, a shroud, a garment we wear when nothing else seems to fit.  It’s what keeps us in place, holding on long after we forgot why we were holding on in the first place. Denial represents protection against the unknown. What we fail to recognize is that denial is just another form of perception.  It forces us to face our fears hoping to garner some control over any loss we are all destined to face.

It’s always good to be ahead of the curve.  Pushing your way through the crowd of angry job seekers like a mob scene out of “The Walking Dead,” you have the right to want to move past the rest of the herd.  It’s not that you aren’t ambitious.  But even a hungry zombie needs a break every now and again.  When you are just plain TIRED and you’ve been at this for a while, it’s okay to just chillax your search and sit this round out.

Nothing screams fear like the unknown.  Whether that means you are not sure where you are spending the holidays or, if you have enough money to pay the bills, fear as we know it comes in many forms and usually in the most unexpected of places.  The holidays of course present a time of reflection and for giving thanks for those things you do have in your life.  Even if you feel you have little to be grateful for, each year you are given a new opportunity to look back on what is and is not working in your life and quite frankly, make a change.  Shedding your fear about the future is like taking a brisk jog around the block after a big holiday meal.  You may be full but you know you need to get rid of what no longer feeds you.

Shedding what is and is not working in your career is no different.  You have things that work for you like getting a paycheck each week to working with people you like from those things that no longer work, like the long commute to the nagging boss you love to hate.  Reminding yourself of who you are and what you are good at are ways to abate the fear when it rises like a strange itch you can’t quite scratch.  Self worth and self-acceptance are two areas you should embrace if you are going to keep your fear at bay.  If you keep giving into the notion that you are not good at anything, your job is a dead-end street and you just can’t win for trying, then no matter how clear your future career goals are you will find a way to fail despite your best attempts.